BY JESS RODGERS
"Who did the killings? Who did the killings? Downer doesn't know — he hasn't even condemned them!", James Vassilopoulos, a representative of the Socialist Alliance told protesters in Canberra on June 29. The emergency protest outside the Papua New Guinean High Commission in Canberra was one of several held around Australia to condemn the shooting of protesters by the PNG government. They were initiated by the socialist youth organisation Resistance.
The PNG protests were sparked by increasing privatisations and land seizures forced upon PNG under loan agreements with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the Australian government. Thousands-strong, the peaceful protests turned tragic when police opened fire during the early morning of June 26. Three protesters were killed, and another 17 were badly injured.
"Our foreign minister failed to condemn the PNG protest killings, because his interests lie in supporting big business' exploitation of PNG and profit, not people's lives", Vassilopoulos told the Canberra protesters. "But we are standing in solidarity with our PNG brothers and sisters".
Resistance member Cecilia Judge chaired the speakout. In contrast to the dozens of police thronging around, she was armed only with a megaphone. "The ruling elite, in PNG and in Gothenburg, are scared of people's resistance", she told the protesters. "That's why they've resorted to brute force. But if the IMF, WTO and the Australian government achieve their goals in PNG, people are gonna starve, people are gonna die."
Yvonne Francis from the Nuclear Disarmament Party told the rally that the behaviour of PNG police was "totally unacceptable" and "a disgrace". Protesters held placards saying "How many lives is privatisation worth?".
The protest took an unexpected turn when PNG High Commissioner Renagi Lohia came out to address it. Vassilopoulos presented him with a list of demands, including those raised by the students in PNG and asked him to respond. Lohia refused to condemn the shooting, saying only that if the law had been broken, the offenders would be punished.
In Sydney, Kate Wilson and Tamara Pearson report, three emergency actions were organised within two days. On June 28, more than 30 protesters staged a "die in" in the city, symbolising the murdered PNG students.
On June 29, participants from the Anti-Capitalist Students Conference, joined a picket organised by the Free the Refugees Campaign, which was demanding an investigation into the death of a Palestinian refugee in a refugee detention centre. "Mohammad Yusus Saleh died for the same reason that the students in PNG died", Resistance member Fred Fuentes told the 100-strong crowd, "to help Australian business make profit out of peoples lives". Activists marched from the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs office to the World Bank offices.
Later that afternoon, activists attending Resistance's regular Friday night picket of the Nike store, also decided to march to the World Bank's offices to protest the deaths in PNG.
In Brisbane, Mike Byrne reports, a speakout outside the Brisbane office of Air Niugini demanded that the Australian government condemn the PNG police attack and provide direct unconditional aid to the people of PNG.
The "Big Australian", BHP, was also condemned for its disgusting role in environmental destruction in PNG, and refusal to compensate traditional owners of the area affected by its Ok Tedi mine.
Resistance is circulating a statement internationally supporting the PNG protesters and demanding that:
- The IMF and World Bank get out of PNG.
- The privatisations in PNG cease.
- The IMF, World Bank and World Trade Organisation be abolished.
- The Australian government condemn the violence against protesters in PNG.
- The Australian government give massively increased unconditional aid for development in PNG.
The statement has already been signed by organisations and individuals in 16 different countries. To add your name to the statement please send e-mails to Resistance on <nationaloffice@resistance.org.au>.